


Out of Breath

by harvestleaves



Category: Chicago Med
Genre: Asthma, Crockett is surprisingly protective, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic, Swearing, Will is a Mess, worried Connor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 16:42:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21461224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harvestleaves/pseuds/harvestleaves
Summary: Will is stressed out from work and Connor finds him in the beginning stages of an asthma attack.
Relationships: Will Halstead/Connor Rhodes (Chicago Med)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 144





	Out of Breath

Will groaned as he reached up to rub the side of his head when another throb hit, squeezing his eyes shut at the tension headache that had been slowly building throughout his shift. He had been overstressed the last few days, and Connor had, on more than one occasion, tried to get him to take naps midway through his shifts, knowing that too much stress could cause his boyfriend’s asthma to act up. Will was really regretting brushing off Connor’s suggestion of a nap that day in particular as he brought his coffee up to his lips, hoping the caffeine would relieve the tight, uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

Clearing his throat with a cough, Will winced and turned to look at Connor when he felt a gentle hand on his lower back move to loop around his waist and pull him into a gentle hug.

“Will, you look awful. You should go lay down for a bit. I don’t have any surgeries, I can keep an eye on your patients for a while,” Connor whispered into Will’s ear as the other laid his head onto Connor’s shoulder and nuzzled his face against his boyfriend’s neck.

“I’m fine, though. Just lemme finish this coffee, and then I should be ready to get back to work,” Will mumbled softly, a small wheeze trailing his words as he picked his head up to look at Connor, humming at the fingers that ran through his hair.

“No can do babe. You’re going to lay in here and get a nap while I look over your patients. Have you taken your inhaler yet?” Connor asked, tilting Will’s chin up to get a better look at him, wincing at the ragged breaths that the other was taking.

“Y-yeah, I took it right before you came in. It didn’t really help though,” Will wheezed out with another cough as he pressed closer to Connor.

“Okay, just relax. Let's get you to a room, and I’ll set up a breathing treatment. I don’t like the sound of that wheeze of yours.”

Connor adjusted his hold on Will before leading him out into the ED to find the closest empty room, easing him up onto the gurney once he’d found one. Grabbing the nasal cannula, Connor slipped it onto Will’s face before he turned up the oxygen and hooked the other up to a pulse-ox, frowning when the monitor showed his boyfriend’s oxygen level was at 90.

“Your oxygen level is at 90, not awful, but obviously not where we want it to be. I’m going to go grab some nebulizer materials and have Maggie start-up a chart for you. I’ll be right back, okay, babe?” Connor cooed softly as he leaned down to press a kiss to Will’s forehead as he ducked out of the room, making his way to the central desk.

“Maggie? I’ve got a new patient in room 15 with an asthma attack, can you get a chart started up while I grab the neb supplies?”

“Of course. Where’s Will, shouldn’t he be taking care of the new ED patients?” Maggie asked as she looked up from the computer with a raised eyebrow, scanning Connor’s face for any signs of lying.

“Will is.....well, he’s actually the patient. I just want to keep this under wraps for right now, he doesn’t want to worry anyone,” Connor explained as he ran a hand over his face in exhaustion, his worry for Will having kept him up as well for the last few nights.

Maggie’s eyes widened in surprise at Connor’s words before her face softened, and she nodded. “I’ll start his chart and get his vitals. You go get the meds, then I’ll call for respiratory. Then I think you need to sit with Will, not as his doctor, but as his boyfriend, I can have Dr. Marcel take over as his doctor, you need to just sit there and be with him. Got it?”

Her voice made it clear that Connor was not supposed to argue with her, and he gave a small nod before going to the supply room. He gathered the nebulizer equipment as well as the albuterol before he headed back to Will’s room, noticing that Crockett had now joined Maggie and was listening to Will’s lungs with a frown.

“Hey, I’ve got the meds for his lungs. How’s he doing?” Connor asked as he handed the supplies to Crockett before moving to sit in the chair next to Will’s bed, reaching out to squeeze the hand that didn’t have an IV in it.

“His lungs are really tight, and apparently, your boy has been out of breath the last few days. That, plus whatever stress he’s been under, is a recipe for an asthma attack. Something he should’ve been aware of,” Crockett stated with a stern look to Will, the redhead blushing sheepishly, as he slid his stethoscope back around his neck. Setting up the nebulizer, Crockett handed Will the misting mouthpiece before he turned to Maggie. “Page respiratory, then I want to examine his chart, see if his long-term meds need to be adjusted. Thank you,” he smiled at Maggie as he took his gloves off before turning to Connor and nodding to the hallway.

“Hey, I’m gonna go talk to Dr. Marcel for a minute, I’ll be right back, okay hon?” Connor pressed a kiss to Will’s cheek before ducking into the hallway behind Crockett, raising an eyebrow at the other in confusion.

“So, how long has Will been feeling off? I heard it from him already, but I just wanna make sure this is because he’s stubborn and not because his boyfriend blatantly ignored the signs of an oncoming asthma attack,” Crockett stated with a firm glare as he turned to look over Connor, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Seriously? Are you fucking kidding me right now? You think that I would deliberately ignore the warning signs of an asthma attack? In my own boyfriend? This is bullshit,” Connor snapped, shocked that the other man would even think that he was capable of something like that.

“Hey, you’ve been stressed out too with cases, plus your father’s passing. I wouldn’t blame you if you missed something like this. We all get overwhelmed and sometimes it clouds our judgment. I’m just making sure this doesn’t happen again and that he won’t be on another neb in the middle of his shift due to stress. Excuse me for being worried about my patient,” Crockett frowned, holding his hands up defensively at Connor’s sudden anger.

“First things first, I would _never_ ignore the symptoms that my boyfriend is feeling unwell. And with all due respect, you have absolutely _no right_ to assume that I would do such a thing. You can treat Will, but stay the fuck out of our relationship when you know nothing about it,” Connor snapped as he took a step forward, taking a slow breath through his nose to calm the anger in his body.

“Okay cowboy, calm down, I didn’t mean to step on your toes. I understand that he means a lot to you, but I was just looking out for his wellbeing, I know you would do the same thing in my position. I’m sorry for implying that you don’t care about your boyfriend when you obviously do,” Crockett apologized as he reached out to set a comforting hand on Connor’s shoulder, hoping the action would soothe the other man.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry for lashing out, I’ve just been trying to get him to take a break the last few days. I guess when I saw him having the attack, I started to blame myself for not realizing sooner and when you accused me of it, I snapped,” Connor admitted, running a hand over his face as he finally let his guard down, blinking back a few tears as the worry for Will overtook him.

“Hey, your boy is going to be okay because _you_ made quick work to get him treatment. Tell you what, you head back in there and spend some time with him, and I’ll be back with some coffee for you when I come ‘round to check on him again. Deal?” Crockett offered, reaching a hand up to wipe a stray tear from Connor’s cheek.

“Now, dry that pretty face of yours and head back in there. He needs you. And just so you know, I’m here too....if you ever need someone to talk to.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any prompts, you can submit them to my [tumblr](https://harvestleaves.tumblr.com).


End file.
